LED's have many advantages as light sources. However, in the past LED's have found application only as specialized light sources such as for vehicle brake lights, and other vehicle related lighting, and recently as flashlights. In these prior applications, the LED's are typically mounted in a planar fashion in a single plane that is disposed so as to be perpendicular to the viewing area. Typically the LED planar array is not used to provide illumination, but to provide signaling.
Recent attempts to provide LED light sources as sources of illumination have been few, and generally unsatisfactory from a general lighting standpoint.
It is highly desirable to provide a light source utilizing LED's that provides sufficient light output so as to be used as a general lighting source rather than as a signaling source.
One problem that has limited the use of LED's to specialty signaling and limited general illumination sources is that LED's typically generate significant amounts of heat. The heat is such that unless the heat is dissipated, the LED internal temperature will rise causing degradation or destruction of the LED.
It is therefore further desirable to provide an LED light source that efficiently conducts heat away from the LED's.